1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus that can be installed in the bed of a pickup truck or the like with little or no modification of the bed, and that allows an accessory such as a trailer hitch, to be mounted to the bed of the truck in a manner that will not encumber the bed of the truck when the accessory is not needed.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 280, subclasses 423.1, 433 and 901, produced the following patents which appear to be relevant to the present invention:
Dale, U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,051, issued Aug. 15, 1967, discloses a trailer coupler having crossed and pivoted anchor bars each coupled to a separate part of a two-part hitch column that receives a trailer draw-bar. Bolts pass through slots or apertures formed in the anchor bars and apertures or the like formed in the bed of a truck or other tractor vehicle to thereby secure the anchor bars to the bed of the truck or other tractor vehicle.
Philapy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,896, issued Jul. 2, 1968, discloses several trailer hitches for connecting a gooseneck or fifth wheel trailer to a pickup truck or automobile. In one embodiment, the trailer hitch includes a circular base plate adapted to be secured to the vehicle bed by a plurality of bolts which pass through the base plate and corresponding apertures formed in the bottom of the vehicle bed. In another embodiment, the hitch includes a pair of parallel bars adapted to be secured to the vehicle bed by a plurality of bolts which pass through the bars and corresponding apertures formed in the bottom of the vehicle bed. In still another embodiment, the hitch includes a pair of side plates adapted to be secured to the vehicle bed by a plurality of bolts which pass through the bars and corresponding apertures formed in the side walls of the vehicle bed.
Sagebiel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,339, issued May 9, 1978, discloses a trailer hitch assembly which may be easily installed and removed from the bed of a pickup truck. The trailer hitch assembly includes a pair of retaining brackets which are mounted inside the individual wheel wells of the truck and are also secured to the truck frame. Each retaining bracket includes a side frame member contoured with curved ends so as to fit the outer surface of a respective wheel well. A frame bracket is secured to the frame of the pickup truck by means of mounting bolts, and has a bracket plate that extends along the inside of a respective wheel well. Locking pins are provided to extend through apertures in each side frame member, through apertures formed in each wheel well, and through apertures in each bracket plate to thereby lock the retaining brackets to the frame of the pickup truck.
Husa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,443, issued Feb. 17, 1987, discloses a removable trailer hitch assembly for connecting a gooseneck trailer to a pickup truck. The hitch assembly includes a base frame having a ball hitch mounted thereon and adapted to be positioned in the floor of the pickup truck box or bed so that the frame straddles both wheel wells and positions the ball hitch over the rear axle of the pickup truck. Two pairs of pivotable elongate members are telescopingly attached to the base frame to frictionally engage the lower surface of the upper horizontal side rail caps of the pickup bed. Means such as springs are provided to bias each side pair of side rail engaging members so as to secure the hitch assembly in the pickup bed by making a positive frictional engagement with the box side rails.
Works, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,898, issued May 21, 1991, discloses a fifth wheel trailer hitch assembly for pickup trucks and flat bed vehicles which includes a hitch ball selectively positioned with a retention sleeve mounted below and through the cargo bed of the truck or flat bed vehicle. A hole, large enough for the hitch ball to extend therethrough, is formed in the cargo bed. A locking pin is provided to secure the hitch ball either in a first upright position within the sleeve wherein the ball is elevated with respect to the cargo bed, or in an inverted position wherein the base of the hitch ball is mounted flush with the cargo bed.
Marcy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,222, issued Dec. 5, 1995, discloses a hitch for a goose neck trailer. The hitch includes a cross member positionable beneath the cargo bed and between the frame members of a truck. A central opening is provided on the cross member for removably receiving a ball hitch. A hole is drilled through the cargo bed of the truck corresponding to the central opening in the cross member. The ball hitch extends through the hole drilled through the cargo bed and protrudes above the cargo bed.
Putnam, U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,869, issued May 7, 1996, discloses a fifth wheel hitch assembly which is mounted on the hitch ball of a gooseneck subassembly. The subassembly is mounted in the bed of a pickup truck by forming a series of holes through the bed of the pickup truck adjacent each rear wheel well thereof and the passing carriage bolts from underneath the bed through the holes thus formed and into opposite ends of the subassembly such that the subassembly is parallel to the rear axle of the truck and the hitch ball is substantially centered over the axle differential housing.
Various accessories are commonly mounted to pickup trucks and the like for enhancing the utility, etc., of the trucks. Such accessories include bed level tie down points for bed level lashing, either fixed or adjustable to meet load requirements; tie down points at the front or along the sides of the bed for vertical lashing, either fixed or adjustable to meet load requirements; tier racks to support and separate fragile loads, either fixed or adjustable; drop on static ramps for loading lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, etc., by driving on, or using an in-bed winch to pull items into the truck bed; powered ramps; slider ramps to allow boats and the like to be launched from and loaded into the truck bed; winch mounts for large winch jobs from the rear of the truck, complete with cable guides for correct cable pull and truck protection; tailgate lifts to access loads form the ground into the truck; motorized and hand crank crane lifts to lift loads by a cable and then swing or roll the load into the truck bed; gooseneck hitches; fifth wheel hitches; combination hitches providing foundations for both fifth wheel and gooseneck hitches; air foil mounts; load positioners for variety of loads, e.g., tool boxes, liquid tanks, dog boxes, palletized loads; bed protection liners; bed protection dump liners; utility rack mounting for ladder racks, glass racks, campers, etc., rolling bed mounts; etc. One major disadvantage with all such accessories is that they are typically mounted to the pickup truck in such a manner so as to permanently encumber the bed of the pickup truck, etc.
Common gooseneck and fifth-wheel type trailers are typically coupled to a tow vehicle with the trailer hitch positioned substantially over the axis of the rear wheels of the tow vehicle to place the draw-bar load of the front end of the trailer on the springs and load-supporting rear axle and wheels of the tow vehicle. It is believed that the most common gooseneck or fifth-wheel type trailer hitch mechanism used in combination with a typical pickup truck is similar to that disclosed in Dale, U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,051. In order to properly and securely mount such a gooseneck or fifth-wheel type trailer hitch mechanism to a typical pickup truck, the bed of the pickup truck is normally completely removed from the chassis to fully expose the chassis frame adjacent the rear axle of the pickup truck, the hitch mechanism can then be welded or otherwise securely attached to the chassis frame adjacent the rear axle of the pickup truck, and a large hole can be cut or otherwise formed through the bed of the pickup truck to allow the upper end of the hitch mechanism to extend therethrough. The bed of the pickup truck can then be reattached to the chassis with the upper end of the hitch mechanism extending through the hole cut or otherwise formed through the bed. Such installations are troublesome and considered by many to be unsightly. They interfere with the normal use of the truck when not towing a trailer, and, furthermore, degrade the resale value of the truck. It is pertinent to note that many owners of these types of trucks take a lot of pride in the appearance of their trucks and will not allow anything done to them which mars that appearance. That applies even though the ability to tow gooseneck and fifth-wheel trailers would be a substantial advantage. Some owners even purchase two trucks, one modified for towing and one kept in its unmodified condition.
Nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests the present invention. More specifically, nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests a mounting apparatus including a frame assembly for receiving an accessory; and bed pad means for attachment to the chassis of a truck and for selectively attaching the frame assembly to the chassis of the truck with a portion of the bed pad means positioned within the bed of the truck in a position in which the bed pad means will not encumber the bed of the truck when the frame assembly is not attached to the chassis of the truck.